Hey there!
As you all know, I grew up in Kansas...and was "used to" the daily tornado watches and warnings during the spring and summer. As a kid I would pack up all of my favorite toys and prized possessions with each watch/warning just to make sure they would be safe and sound and not be destroyed by each potential tornado. Yes - this did become exhausting over time...not only for me, but for my Mom and Dad as well.
The reason I bring this up is because in the past week - we have had 2 major tornado scares down here. I immediately flashed back to my childhood experiences with the same fear I felt back then.
The first one was a Monday afternoon...Cory was at work and I was home alone with Andrew, Landon, & Diva. This was my first reality check at being terrified at the possibility of losing my kids...I gathered everyone up and packed us into our closet. When the power went out I was texting Cory for updates and it was nice to know he was "there" with me. The sirens went off constantly for about 10-15 minutes and it was a surreal and terrifying feeling for me. The one aspect that helped me to remain calm was that both Andrew & Landon were asleep through the whole thing...and Diva just laid down beside me trying to comfort me the best way she could. The storm finally blew over and we were unharmed (thank goodness)...
Fast forward to Thursday night...I was up at 3 a.m. feeding Landon...and I am thankful I was watching TV as there was a squall line coming right for the DFW area. I watched it for about 15 minutes before making the call to wake Cory up and head back to the closet with the kiddos. Again throwing in the pillows, blankets, radio, etc... As soon as we made it to the closet, the sirens went off again. This time everyone was awake for the whole experience. We read many books to Andrew - most of them by flashlight...and tried to keep his attention diverted in any way we could. We remained in the closet for about 45 minutes...and lost power around 4 a.m. and didn't get it back until 10 a.m. He still thinks it's the coolest thing ever, and asks me daily if he can sleep in the closet again...gotta love that kid to death!
Needless to say - I have already had my fill of severe weather and the threats of tornadoes and it is only mid-April. My closing thought is this...how I wish I could have my basement back in times like these...because I just don't feel that safe in my closet/bathroom!
I hope you and your families are safe and sound too...and remember to cherish each and every second you have with them!
